Grounding device.



W. R. GARTON. GROUNDING DEvlcE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I0. 1913.

Patented Mm. 28, 1916.

I. If

WILLIAM B.. GAn'roN, or n n'inoxnvri',t NEW Yoan.

GROUNDING DEVICE.

Speciation of Letters Patent.

PatentedMar. 28, 1916.

Application led November v10, 1918. Serial No.' 800,112.

' T 'o all whom it may concern:

yBe it known that I, WILLIAM R. GAR'roN, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn', in the county of Kings and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and vuseful Improvements in Grounding Devices,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in grounding devices or' ground terminals for electric circuits.

My present invention has especial reference to devices of this character that may conveniently be driven into the ground and which are capable of establishing and maintaining electrical connection, Vof relatively low resistance, under all conditions of weather with the vsurrounding earth into which said device has been driven.

The device is capable of imparting a condition to the surrounding earth that greatly reduces its specific electrical resistance and as this condition extends radially a considerable distance from the tube constituting part of my driven ground terminahthe resistance is thereby further reduced as the result of the large area of Contact of the treated earth with the natural earth. For these reasons, the tube containing the prepared material, may present .a relatively small, superficial area to the earth for actual conta-ct therewith and therefore I am enabled to place the irriguous chemical material in a relatively small iron pipe and drive the pipe into the ground. In the accompanying drawing wherein I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention-Figure 1 shows an elevation of my terminal device as it appears when driven into the ground, or earth. Fig. 2 shows the terminal driven deeper into the ground by use of an extension pipe connected thereto. Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2. b

In all the views the same reference characters are employed to indicate similar parts.

The terminal proper of my device consists of a pipe'10 which may be ordinary gas pipe perforated'at intervals, as at 11, and having secured to its bottom end a point 12, made of suitable cast metal. such as cast of malleable iron, secured to the pipe either by driving the pipe onto the cylindrical projection 13 of the point, or screw-threading this part to the pipe, as may be desired.

In carrying my invention into practical effect I have found that if the point 12 be driven into the end of the tube so that it is restralned with some degreev of certainty by the friction exerted between the cylindrical part and interior of the tube that it is all suiiicient, as there is no particular strain between these parts when the device is im operatlve position. I next provide a copper wire 14 properly tinned and surrounded with a lead covering or jacket 15,750 as to increase its area or surface and then secure the lower end of the lead jacket 15 and the wire 14 to the cylindrical part 13 of the tube so as to make good electrical contact between these parts.

To the upper end of the terminal proper, as by screw threads, I secure a fitting 16 for connection of an extension pipe 17. The extension pipe 17 is employed when it is desired to drive the terminal farther into the ground than the length of the terminal itself will permit. It I use'the terminal alone, as shown in-lFig. 1, I screw a driving plug 18 into the fitting 16 to provide an anvil upon which to receive the impact of the hammer blow when the terminal is being inserted `in the ground.

The lead jacket 15 covers the wire which is included within the pipe 10 but the wire may be extended therebeyond, as shown in Fig. 2, for connection to the electriccircuit, or other service, `such as a lightning rod or the like, that it is desired to ground. After the wire 14 and the'jacket 15 have been placed within the tube 10 I place in the tube, between the interior surface thereof and the exteriorsurface of the lead jacket 15 an ahsorbent compound or composition 19. A suitable compound may be made by combining chlorid of potassium and chlorid of sodium together with a suitable binding powder and mixing with granulated coke. or charcoal. Before placing this compound in the tube 10, Isurround the tube with' a temporary jacket to temporarily close the openings or perforations 11, and then pour the composition into the tube 10 and `fill the tube to within a short distance of the top, the space above the composition being afterward filled with lead 20, to seal the composition within the tube.

y The driving cap 18 is centrally perforated,l as at 21, and is provided with a radial slot 22. After the driving cap 18. has been -screwed into the fitting 16, which may be soy readily done with the wire 14 extending through the perforation21, the wire .14 and the covering 23, which latter is preferably made of some insulating material, is bent down at right angles into the position shown in'Fig,z 3, so as to provide an uninterrupted surface on the top of the cap 18 to receive the impact of the hammer Wlthout injuring the wire, and after the tube and the extension-pipe,- if such pipe be used,is driven into the ground, the wire -14 is straightened again,- as --shownl in Figs. 1 and 2, and may be continued to a remote Apoint by soldering or otherwise joining another wire thereto, as usualin 1the practice of such art.

The winding 23is preferably made of cotton fabric saturated with asphaltum, or the like, so as to insulate the Wire 14 directly fromthe cap 18'where the part is subjected to atmospheric 'conditions and would thereby-be-aifected by4 electrolytic action causingv the unnecessary.. disintegration of the parts.

The composition 19, 'introduced in the terminal tube, is more or less porous and has thecharacteristic of absorbing moisture from the-:surrounding earth, when the earth is super-saturated with moisture, and giving ofi' the moisture-when the earth becomes more or4 less dry thereby increasing the earths contact value and also retaininga certain amount of moisture at all times absorbing moisture when the exterior conditionsare more heavily charged with moisture than the composition itself land giving it off at times when the composition is morai heavilycharged than the surrounding eart 'I` he openings 11 in the tube 10 provide means for access of moisture in the earth with the compound or chemical within the terminal tube, so that there may atsall times be a free interchange, of moisture by infiltration', .through these apertures.

By making my grounding devicesub'stalr tially as disclosed 1n `this application it may be driven into .thee earth ijustfas a similar tube is,.driven.into the earth for a driven well andthe deviceis brought into ycontact with earth that has otherwise been undisturbed, asw-hen digging a hole within which t'o place or bury the device..

Havingdesc-ribed my invention, what I claim is A ground terminal adapted for use with a hygroscopic composition, comprising a perforate, tubular receptacle, having. a driving point at one end, an electricvconductor extending throughsaid tube,l a space.be

tween said conductorand said t'ube being.

filled. with the aforesaid composition, and a centrally perforated driving cap on. the upper end of said tube having a radiallydisposed slot extending from said perforation to the periphery ofthe cap and opening to the upper end thereof.

In testimony whereof I hereunto setl my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

W'IL'LIAM R. GARTON. In the presence of- M. C. LUDEMANN, C. l/VICHERT. 

